Hanoi - the most crazy place to date

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After leaving Railay we caught the plane to Bangkok - Yes I know not very hardened traveling but it was very cheap. Besides after the speedboat incident the thought of an 18 hour bus ride would make me cry.

In Bangkok we met up with Dave and his sister Sarah and went to meet AnnaClara and Joel at the very posh 5 star hotel the Banyan Tree ( It was so posh the staff had to give Pod and Dave shoes and trousers to wear!). We got there by a drug crazed taxi driver that was shouting at Pod the whole way there about football and kept stroking his arm - which was funny and alarming.

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When we arrived we had arranged to meet the Swedes at the top of the hotel at the Vertigo bar which is 65 floors up and your ears popped in the elevator on the way up. When we arrived the views of Bangkok were amazing - but brief as no sooner as we arrived a tropical storm came (yes they are following us around). We took refuge inside. Here we ignored our traveling budget and drank dirty martinis and Singapore Slings which were delicious. We then remembered our travelling budget and went to the Ko San Road to get drunk on beer!

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The following morning Pod and I went to the airport only to discover that we wouldn't be flying to Vietnam as we didn't have Visa's - Oops!! We just assumed we would get them on arrival.

Back in Bangkok - being a sunday there was nothing we could do so we went shopping in the huge department stores, ate sushi in a nice Japanese restaurant and went to watch the new James Bond movie. The next day we went to the embassy, got our visas, re-booked our flights and we are now in Vietnam - hooray!

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Except Hanoi is crazy - We nearly die every time that we walk onto the streets, there are hundred of motorbikes riding in every direction possible and all beeping their horns so you don't know which way to turn. Pod thought it might be a good idea for the two of us to get a lift on the back of the same bike just for the experience. The five minute trip was enough. I have never tried to make myself so small and invisible in my whole life.

We do have a great hotel though, very French. The French buildings are beautiful and the little side streets are great to explore. There is also the museums to visit if you really want to see communist propaganda at its best. We visited the prison where American soldiers were held during the Vietnam war and would you believe they had a great time - there's photo's of them cooking nice meals, receiving good medical care, playing games and even getting gifts from the guards - what a crock of shit!

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Last night we went for dinner by the lake and Pod ordered snails and frogs legs (he is following his when in Rome philosophy)however, he ended up leaving most of it as the food was terrible and under the table a dozen cockroaches were feasting on someone elses of leftovers.

Tonight we are going to try and find somewhere that serves pizza and then we're catching the night train to Hue, on the east coast of Vietnam.